Contest Watch: Holiday Edition

All the classic holiday shorts are, well, short. That's part of why they're classic... you can sit around even on a busy day and take one in with your family. They're easily "packaged" in an hour block, which is surely why so many of us remember traditions of watching certain things together. Even "A Christmas Carol" is incredibly brief (a marvel that Dickens could manage it). So let's pretend that's why we've got yet another miniaturized Contest Watch. But as with other traditions, let us begin with those shirts who cannot be with us tonight: namely Troybot, by a.mar.illo, which is up for scoring at Threadless after somehow avoiding print elsewhere this year. This guy's one of the most prolific quality designers on the circuit, and I can think of no reason he shouldn't finally get his Threadless shield for Christmas.

Shirt #1: Deer--ection
Designer: fhigi25

Why I Like It: All the selections this week are from Threadless, and should show some different aspects of why I'm such a fan of their diversity. We start here for the skilled drawing. That's a good-lookin' deer, and it's done in a style that really recalls a sketchbook piece, fleshed out realistically and by hand. It's a style I -always- find refreshing, especially considering how many pure-digital crapshoots are subbed throughout the contestosphere. Seriously, I don't care who buys or votes, an aurora behind stock trees is simply not new or interesting. It also has the sort of free-form association that the real gems in a sketchbook will tend to have... the deer isn't noticeably making a pun, but the arrows growing organically out of his head allow it anyway, even while keeping the classy, natural execution. The colors work wonderfully, to me, and the positioning, especially the flow of the antler-arrows, fills the shirt wonderfully. And I guess it can't particularly hurt that the title is far more unintentionally rude than any other I've ever reviewed. Huzzah!

Shirt #2: A Matter of Perspective
Designer: brainrust

Why You Should Love It: Concept Concept Concept. It's hard to come to an agreement when two fully opposing sides meet, and here, they couldn't get much more at odds. It's an idea that requires that disparity... a poorly drawn guy making a poorly drawn airplane amounts to a poorly drawn design by itself, but adding context, and a more true-to-life foreman to argue with, it becomes hilarity. I think the idea of the other "real" characters following orders for a plane that will never be air-ready (I love the vertical wings... I'm certain I drew planes like this as a kid) is even better than the two arguing characters... it's the idea that "yeah, the boss is kinda odd, but it's our job, so what can we do," and going at it unquestioningly, which enforces this joke. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the two styles, while contrasting quite a bit, seem to play off each other, and certainly the more childish cartoon man (and his sock-like airplane) adds a lot of fun here. But again. Concept, and a strong one at that. Be creative and you're already halfway to awesome.

Shirt #3: The Twilight Rider
Designer: zackOlantern

Why it Rocks and Rolls All Night Long: This is one of those pieces that it's probably truly a matter of personal taste. Where no matter what one might say, you've already resolved to love it immediately, or hate it forever. And yet, I am going to insist that its virtues are so obvious as to be almost offensive to have to extol them. For me the first and foremost bit of awesome here is the color scheme. Everything just goes so deliciously together, despite the unconventional palette. It's like candy, sugary and a little tart and delicious... Skittles for the chest. The colors alone are enough to win me over, but the oddness makes it feel like art... I can't help but feel there's a certain power in the image. Not that I get it. Not at all. But for me, I find that often, it's the images that make the least sense which are most powerful, because they strike you without your knowing why. It could be the arrows or the dripping scenery. It might be the faceless hole in the character's head. The style is just so engrossing that I can't, and hardly want to, look away. And that, for me, is worth more than a million weak pop-culture jokes.

Tee-Cember: My Apologies

Every time I go making promises on this blog, I seem to fall short. Those of you who have been following know that I've been dramatically short of "every day" like I promised my posts would be this month. Mea culpa. I should promise to fall short more often. Maybe I'd overshoot.

However, I'd like to note that recently, I was attacked by huge freaking bees, which has kept me away from the blog for a while lately. As it stands, I am still incredibly puffy, except for my pointer fingers, which I am using to hunt and peck along this blog. To the side, you'll see a photo of me being attacked by the bees. I look very calm about it, but this is because they have already numbed my pain receptors. I assure you this is an accurate photo, and not at all Design By Humans' recent print The Swarm. If it was, you'd notice the strong one-color print's realistic execution, bold size, and how it is unlike so many similar pieces. But here, you can clearly see that these are real albino killer giant bees. And that is why I've been so unreliable on posting lately.

Of course, if you were to go to Design By Humans anyway, I would check out their selected sale tees for as low as $10 on the front page. I wish they were doing this "sale" thing in a week, when I could afford to get the scads of great selections they've got discounted (Lucky Day, Vulpes, Taipei Rocks, Magic Snake, Two Trees... It's a veritable feast for the wardrobe). Presumably there's a final day of them tomorrow, but if you're to be busy, get thee to a credit card tonight.

Tee-Cember: Royal Beauty Bright

I've always loved Christmas, but I've loved it for secular reasons. Sure, I was brought up understanding the true meaning of it, but the real rewards were anything but. It wasn't all Santa and gifts either, though (though certainly, those were awesome elements). It was the smell of the tree and the baking, the coziness of a warm house, or a warm coat out in the snow. It was the snow itself, the fun to be had and the pure beauty of its gleaming whiteness, and the scent of crisp air and distant chimneys. The family traditions that you looked forward to all year, and now the ones we've made with friends. You can dive into the Jesus and Santa war all you like, it's impossible to not appreciate those simple things that make Christmas special in the now, because they're elements that extend to all holiday gatherings. There's really no other time of year that seems to touch as many people for both spiritual and secular reasons.

That all said, we know that certainly for many of you, the religious side of the season is certainly a big deal, so I can think of no better time to bring Red Is White to you. They've been around for a bit, bringing faith-based tees to the world at large. The best part, though, is that RiW doesn't take a preachy road, but finds praise in designs which are imminently wearable for people of all faiths, or no faith. Consider JulianGlander's "What I Need," among my favorites in the catalog. It's a what-if that recalls the old "money doesn't grow on trees" admonishment. Even with an orchard full of diamonds, the tee suggests that it is what God provides which we need most, and no amount of greed can replace it. The message carries, though, to anyone who appreciates the simple things more than the flashy, ephemeral glitz of modern life. Seriously, the only apple I want is the tree sort... an iPhone feels ineffably like overkill. It even can take an environmental slant... what's most vital is the natural, the life force that sustains us and needs sustaining. That's the sort of thing Red is White does best: putting out shirts that don't sacrifice art for a heavy-handed, specific message, but can be appreciated on a spiritual level as well. If you're among the many who are always looking to express their faith, you may have found your new favorite bookmark, but especially with a $12 sale going on for the season, any shirt connoisseur should consider checking them out. Just like the holiday season, the best parts of t-shirt graphics are the universals.

Tee-Cember: The Season to Support

While many sites have been having big sales all month, Cameesa has gone the opposite direction: December marked the introduction of a new support pricing scheme. $20 is the new support price, double the old standard. I'm personally a bit skeptical of the whole thing really driving support the way they think it will (and I definitely question the economic feasibility of their plan), but there are a couple definite perks for You The Buyer: firstly, of course, every support you may have made at $10 is grandfathered in... you WILL get your shirts if and when they print. The second perk, however, is a hugely elevated kickback for new supporters: while the $10 scheme paid out $0.02 for every sale of a tee you supported, the $20 tag comes with a $0.20 kickback. Again, I question how this will work out for the site financially, but it's certainly an interesting experiment for anyone interested in seeing a bit of a kickback just for having awesome taste in tees.

We at SingulariTee are big supporters of the idea behind Cameesa (check the site for more about the "crowdfunding" idea, including videos), and have long promoted some favorites in our blog header... we continue to suggest these as excellent places to start if you're interested in trying out the new Cameesa scheme. For those of you less willing to make the investment of time and money that supporting requires, though, perhaps their holiday sale will be more interesting to you... they're offering 10% off everything until 2010 with code HOLIDAYS09. We're big fans of Overcompetsation, by tgentry, which has the questionable honor of being the only Cameesa design we've written up in a contest watch (and consequently one we've forgotten to write up til now... sorry guys!) It's a wonderful little scene, and a great concept piece. We tend to think a good, intelligent joke shirt is worth about 100 pop culture tees (especially given their rarity), and getting ANY joke shirt with a seriously skilled execution is a wonder in and of itself. The size hammers home the joke, and the lemon blank is just, well, bright and wonderful. Pick one up... we're pretty confident anything we've ended up supporting will look at least this good when it prints. Yeah, I said when. We're cocky bastards like that.

Contest Watch: Week of December 10

We've got a full lineup tonight in this week's Contest Watch installment for the first time this month, which is always cause for excitement. We'll be starting crazy and ending amaze-y, and hey, what better way to start than noting that we'll start with Redundancy National Park, by bootsboots, who submit Redundancy National Park to Threadless, where it is up for voting. So we'll start by noting that it is up for voting, and you should, because who -wouldn't- want to vote twice for redundancy?

Now, while that will never get old, birds will. So it is a truly happy event that shirt.woot's bird derby had so much stunning and creative work taken from the old tired tee standard. We start off with Omnitarian's "Penguins and Waffles, Together at Last," a combo I certainly didn't realize I loved and needed until I saw it. The crisp cartoon style here is perfect, the concept is appropriately wacky for a cartoon, and the action is diverse and flows attractively. Good cartooning is all about characterization through uniformity, and all four birds are drawn with that uniformity, but with their own distinct personalities. That's part of what makes this a winner, but the colors (appropriately wintry, but overall perfect) certainly go a long way as well. I really love that the penguins are appropriately penguin-y without resorting to the standard black-and-white scheme. Great fun.

Being such a tee cliché, it's no surprise to find many a bird design over at Threadless as well, and I was hesitant to include any more birdage than need be, but then I came across this little bit of weirdness: Love Birds, by Amundaz. At first glance, it's sweet... aww, I love you forever. Then you start thinking about the image. Those are some creepy birds. They're... really unsettling. They aren't warm, not embracing, not sweet. As this goes, they're well executed to look run ragged, disturbed, and brilliantly so (while still being avian). It makes the words take on a new meaning, though... "This is on account of my loving you forever." Has the speaker been driven mad like those birds? It's certainly a realistic portrayal of love... the more eternal it feels, the harder it is, whether reciprocated or not. Is the speaker presenting these birds as a token of his affection? Well, then, that seems even creepier, somehow... these are probably not the sort of gift you want to give to get a repeat date. What starts off as kinda charming becomes depressing and cynical. The image has limitless potential for an awesome hipster statement, or symbolizing those awkward, wild loves we often have. There's too much uniqueness going on here to not praise it for the power of the image.

More conventionally powerful, (and less birdy, thankfully) is Abyss, by Gabrielng. The image captures a swarming, flowing, overtaking image... you get the impression of the helplessness the diver must be feeling surrounded by these malicious fish, dragging him down deeper and deeper. The blue blue blue palette gives a sense of just how deep we've gone... any light is hardly penetrating through the blueness of the water, adding to the oppressive, dangerous mood. A very wearable and mysterious piece overall.

Finally at Threadless this week, we have WEAREYAWN's "Sun it rises," a supremely warm, colourful offering that will be perfect for summer (just looking at it makes me feel better about the ludicrous coldness outside my windows), despite the mountains being snow-capped. The bold colors radiate in their richness, and are perfect for a simple white canvas (which, again, light colors are very summer-appropriate). The really perfect thing here is the style, though. The mountains and the sun are colored as though done by markers, which is not only a really fun style to use, but also one that gives the design a unique, handmade feel to it (as if someone came by with some fabric markers and customized an old tee for you). With the watercolor trend long past its freshness point, perhaps marker-style will be next in line? It would certainly add a unique, new flair to the tee world, and an attractive one. There can't be anything wrong with mixing it up a bit.

OK, so maybe that was a cheap shot at watercolor style up there. I mean, check out our piece de resistance, also from the woot derby. Mathiole's "Independence" is anything but dull and done... the illustration is pure class and totally wearable. The simple color scheme and the vertical lines make for an attractive piece in and of themselves, but the interactions of the birds are what really make this one of my favorites in weeks. They're going Escher on us, with one creating more perches, another erasing a companion, and the last spilling color everywhere. It's simple to see just how well done this is, so from there, I'll let the piece speak for itself. Appreciate it, as I am. I'll be ecstatic to chat this one up again later on, as it searches for a home that will give it the respect and the print it deserves.

Tee-Cember: Here We Come A-War Sailing

There's a distinct satisfaction in the tee I present to you today. It is, of course, awesome, or I wouldn't be bringing it to you at all. It is a tee I've lusted after for a while and finally get to own. It is incredibly skillfully executed, with a vintage feel and style and a one-color sepia-tone palette. But most importantly, Battle of the Ironclads II is a survivor.

Like Travis Gentry's "All Dinosaurs Go To Heaven" before it, Robbie Lee's second print at Threadless is most remarkable for being a shirt.woot outcast from a woot-born tee designer. This is big news for me because I'm a huge proponent of the best of woot's designers succeeding elsewhere. Seeing a design like this take the prize at the top tee site out there, where the best of the best congregate, proves that top-notch work is coming from woot every week... it's just not printing there. It's my sincere hope that we start seeing even more of this sort of thing in the new year... there are a number of designers who truly deserve a shield, and each has numerous designs worth printing. What better time than the present?

Speaking of presents, this is, of course, the last full week of Threadless Saletime, and this week's deal ($10 tees across the board) is pretty hard to deny. This one, of course, counts, and there's still time enough to get it in the mail by Christmas for your favorite history or robot buff.

Tee-Cember: Signs of the Season

We here at SingulariTee would like to take a moment to discuss the fine fellows over at Made With Awesome, who are having a pretty significant sale until Friday night. We've brought them up before, because they're pretty excellent guys, but today, we'd like to feature a tee that is simply the embodiment of being made with awesome: Red Means Go. It's a collab between shop mastermind Evan Ferstenfeld (whose ideas and slogans have frequently printed at Threadless) and Wenceslao Almazan,whose illustration skills really give this piece a fun atmosphere... it's hard not to be charmed by his cartoonist chops. The chaos of signs is a wonderful riot of disorder, with a brilliant shock of red in the stop sign, the obvious focus, that makes the whole scene feel more colorful for it. Of course, the whole MWA compliment of tees, from graphics to slogans, is on sale, so feel free to browse... we think the little guys deserve it, because they're the ones that rely on the support the most, and a tee this charming deserves to be spread out to the four corners of the world as long as possible. Christmas is a time of giving as well as receiving... the more small press shops we have, giving as much diverse work as possible, the healthier art in and of itself is because of it.

Tee-Cember: Long-Awaited Tee Update

It's been well over a year since we first saw NiNTHWHEEL's "Final Approach" at DBH, from which it sauntered over to Threadless and finally, resigned, it was plunked down at Teextile. It seemed like all was for naught until a superhero of a site swooped in and rescued these giant, majestic birds. A site like... shirt.woot?

Yes, it's a bit bittersweet to know that this amazing piece will likely not live to the new year, but it is also such a sweet vindication to see woot, of all places, pick up a piece that has tried its luck nearly everywhere and simply been edged out. Final Approach is stunningly executed and illustrated, and tells a brilliantly intriguing story... a fan in its woot thread likened it to a great sci-fi piece, given the unique fantasy world being built here... it allows us to speculate about just what sort of place this is. Regardless of the full story, though, the mix of natural beauty with a dash of cyberpunk makes this a quite attractive wear, especially in contrast with the bird shirts we'll likely be getting this weekend from the derby.

We've yet to talk up a single woot shirt that has lasted past its first reckoning, so we hiiiighly recommend snagging this now, as it's taken long enough to go up for sale. It's still available at it's first day price as I write, but if you miss it, once midnight rolls around you can grab it for $15. Just don't expect it to be around past the Monday after Christmas. That's reserved for the shirts that DON'T have any effort put in.

Tee-Cember: Holiday Hot List 2009

Hark, the herald Adders sing! Glory to the newborn tees! Or at least, welcome to our yearly Christmas list for you holiday shoppers out there. As last year, we figure any site can list hot sellers, shops begging for promo time, and themed lists, so we're catering to that most underserved of markets: your friendly neighborhood Adder. These ten tees are on my personal list, and if you have a dashing, daring, XL-wearing tee fan on your list, you'd do well to check it out. Especially if it's me.

1. Wet and Windy (Shirt.woot): As last year, I felt it was worth it to put out the hunt for a long out of print Woot tee. Last year, dreams came true, and I now own an Avocado Man of my own. This year, the search is on for Wet and Windy, a piece I fell in love with far too long after its departure. I don't expect my luck to hold out, but if the spirit of the holidays prevails (and probably if people insist they believe in fairies) perhaps a Christmas miracle will get one in my hands in 2010.

2. Between the Eyes (Threadless): The greatest thing about Threadless sales is Selects at incredible prices, but that means that eventually, there's so much great stuff in your cart that something doesn't make the cut. This tee is one of them, languishing behind despite it's big, bold graphic, quirky yet classic concept, and smart use of CMYK (allowing the colors to pop instead of hit you over the head with a weak print joke).

3. Caution (Red) (Supermandolini, shown left): Besides the obvious things drawing me to this shirt (seriously, I feel like I cannot get more self-parodic sometimes), I am in love with the flow of the illustration making its home on this tee, and more so with the smart placement, allowing for a strong double-take when you see what's just over the shoulder. Part of it's also the subject matter... sometimes we need a shirt that truly shows off who we are. Total class, and a tee I've desired for a while.

4. Digfoot (Enclothe): A big and bizarre print with an epic "fun" quotient. I love the character highlighted here, with his loosely drawn body (the way only half the lines ever seem to connect is very appealing when you notice it) and his funhouse-mirror predicament. This is the sort of thing a great one-color tee should be made of... the ink is visible and tasteful against the tee, and the graphic is unique enough that more color is hardly needed.

5. Time (302 Designs): Something about this piece has stuck with me ever since I first saw it (sold out and more expensive). The pose of the graphic seems to be on the defense, blocking an implicit vulnerability. The colors pop on the tee itself. The graphic feels classic and weathered, as the image should portray. I even love the brief text incorporated into the piece: "Time, may I be provided the strength to one day understand you." It's just wise enough to not be cliché, and it makes the piece feel almost personal.

6. Vulpes (Design by Humans, shown right): This graphic simply lures me in... its colors are murky as midnight, and the graphic itself is hypnotic... the fox featured here is not only mutated to start with, with it's multiple legs and tails (the creature is more of a Rorshack test than a true animal), but the base in the back of the same graphic, 180'd and painted in purple, helps make the whole piece truly hypnotising. Creative, unique, and a must-have.

7. The Coral Castles Tee (Paper Root Clothing): We just brought Paper Root into the blog last week, but this is the tee that made me fall in love. It's nothing too complex, just coral textures on a particularly sweet looking heather gray blank, with some geometric elements. It's very hipster, and hits on many chords of what's popular right now, but it's hard to deny how GOOD the whole thing comes out looking. Of the pieces we're featuring here, this is probably the one I'm most apt to grab after the holidays.

8. Ostrich Egg (HaHa Press): There's something about bird skeletons, or really all animal skeletons, that draws me in to a design, and this one is all the more irresistible not only for the life vs. death motif the feathers and egg give, but for the vibrant colors making the whole shebang eye-delicious.

9. Stop (Fullbleed): Rob Dobi of Fullbleed is probably the king of indie tee lines, given the amount of iconic designs he's put out, and the distinctive style his work has. It's a style that, to be honest, I've usually been left a bit cold by, but the more I see Stop, whether for it's great placement, smart use of minimal colors, or simply that his shadowy style is sans human silhouettes in this piece, the more I am simply drawn to it. I figure it's about time... what shirt connoisseur can truly go without a Fullbleed in their closet?

10. Octophant Polo (Resist Today, shown left): Perhaps it's time for something classier? The Octophant polo is absolutely gorgeous color-wise... the blacks and golds shine against the rich cranberry blank, the graphic itself, with trunk and tentacles writhing along, is intriguing and flows amazingly, and the placement, coming at us from around the side, is something I love to see... it helps keep things fresh. But to have all that on an AA polo shirt for the price of a regular tee? I just don't see how a boy could resist.

Of course, we do suggest that if you want a gift guide, this whole blog is technically just that. Especially check out our Contest Watch updates for choice ideas. And don't forget, sometimes it's nice to add new people to your list. Wink wink.

Mini Contest Watch (Late Edition): Week of 12/3

Not only is this week another "In Miniature," but it's late. Busy Week was Busy. For starters, though, let's talk about the resubmission brigade. At SwishSwosh, jameses' charming Gentlemen are looking for support, first in votes and, if it scores well, in sales next. Over at Design by Humans, TheInfinityLoop's Nightsong is up for voting, and really deserves your love... it's a stunning piece which has been repeatedly neglected. Then there's Tilteed, which has a metric ton of good stuff in this week, but the most important of which is MJs Crabs I Have Known, which I have always had a soft spot for, and really needs a good print.

On to the new batch, starting at shirt.woot. ChrisRisse's Finchievous fits the bill for last week's derby, "Naughty and Nice," which is probably why it was so neglected. I like the subtlety of the mix of styles... the "characters" are distinct, but all the danger is subtle, almost a phantom vision. Even the limb the cat is hanging onto seems to be ephemeral. I'm enjoying how this looks, but also the deviousness implicit in having all these instruments of destruction represented as if they are air. Either the finches are hiding their true nature, or the cat is helpless enough to imagine a reason to fear even these small birds. It adds a lot to the piece's dialogue as well as being a interesting artistic choice.

Of course, most cat people will prefer their feline friends to be making out well for themselves, not about to be mauled, so perhaps a jaunt over to Threadless would be ideal. Randyotter3000 helps the blog's recent transition into VoteForCats.org with The Fish Van, which is pretty adorable even if it is yet more cattiness. I love the shape of the huge cat, snaking through the buildings following the tiny little van full of fish. Something about the scene makes the perspective take a while to set in... I can picture my own cats taking this winding route just walking across a room, but especially snaking around chair legs or whatever else is in their way, so when the buildings come into your view around the main character, and you notice the tiny vehicle the cat is in pursuit of, the concept becomes its own sort of magical ride. Also, I've noticed that I've slowly become very fond of grayscale pieces. Perhaps it is partly due to how much "sketchier" the art looks that way, giving it a more honest feel, like a sketchbook page, but whatever the reason, it makes this look really classy along with its cuter tendencies. I love pieces like this because they highlight that you can make cute work and still have it speak to your own style and talent. This is the sort of cute we need more of.

We also need more of EdgarRMcHerly's personal style of charming and endearing characters, such as we see in Old Man Winter is at it again. The jolly happy soul is up for voting just in time to sneak in as a print before spring comes 'round, and hopefully we'll get to see it happen. The design captures the sheer joy of winter. I know, it seems like an oxymoron, but when you're walking outside on a crisp but not bitter cold day, with a light coat of snow making the ground shine, and the scent of clean, cold air mingling with hints of smoke from chimneys or the leftover fall leaves being burned, there really is a decided peace that comes over one, even ignoring the holidays themselves. This big old dude is the embodiment of that, reveling in the snow, his (presumably corn-cob) pipe billowing smoke through the cool air, and presumably quite warm in his jumpsuit despite the chill. He seems to thrill in the season like a child, while the village getting the brunt of his excitement seems cozy and peaceful under their new blanket of snow. The reality can be far more brutal, as anyone up north can tell you, but it really sums up the best feelings about the season perfectly. If Threadless ever wants to rush something to print when it's most relevant, this design is a perfect candidate, and should hopefully bring the designer's brilliance back to the forefront by becoming his second print.